The Mercury
by Crazii Choco
Summary: Kimiko is growing up, getting out, finding her way, getting her way. All she wants to do is have fun, but has she been poisoned by this? And are her true friends at risk of getting poisoned too?
1. Kimiko

The mercury-blue eyes opened. Kimiko lifted the wand to her left eye first, and as precisely as she could coated every lash thickly and heavily, but at the same time never forgetting to slide the wand gently side to side so there were no awful clumps. She finished both eyes, and blinked several times, examining them as always in the reflection in front of her. There was just one last final touch now and she was tarted up for the night – the usual flaming red lipstick.

Just as she'd finished half of the top lip, Master Fung knocked on the bedroom door.

"-I'm decent!"

Kimiko continued with her lipstick. Master Fung put his head around the big oak door. He never fully entered rooms when Kimiko was busy doing something like making herself up in them. He was just putting his head around a lot these days.

"..What hour are you planning on returning home _tonight_, Kimiko?" his voice was rather stern. Kimiko finished with the lipstick and began to mess her hair up around her shoulders instead.

"Erm- why so serious? Normal time, probs."

"So we're talking the 3'oclock wake-us-all-up routine in the dawn then, yes?"

Kimiko sighed.

"That was _just_ last time, and I've already said I'm sorry." She turned around in the chair to look at him, and then looked down at her high heels, putting on a guilty face. She still did feel quite ashamed that she'd woken up everybody in the temple, but she knew she wouldn't have a reason to stay out that late this time. Master Fung's eyes also slowly sank down to his feet. After a few more seconds the silence was broken.

"…No, Kimiko, I'm… I'm the one who should be sorry."

For the first time in a while he fully entered the room whilst Kimiko was still in it. He approached his young apprentice sitting in the chair, still looking woeful, and embraced her gently. Kimiko acted along, hugging back. She wasn't really feeling too much like an emotional bonding session now – she was in the party mood.

When they separated, Master Fung looked sadly into Kimiko's eyes.

"…I think that I'm just finding it hard to adjust to the fact you are becoming a young woman now, and finding your own way in life… it seems like just yesterday you were a 10-year-old beginner at the Xiaolin temple, and now you're 16…" he gripped her shoulder affectionately, and then smiled. "You are just having fun, and I need to learn to accept that."

Kimiko smiled appreciatively, even though she was now just focusing on finally going out. "Thanks, Master F."

The two embraced again, but for a shorter time this time. Then Master Fung finally stood up and began to exit. Just as he reached the door, he turned his head to Kimiko again.

"-But just be back for 1, okay?"

He then smiled again and walked out. Kimiko beamed.

She swivelled back round to her mirror, stood up, and danced and sang to herself whilst she put together her usual party kit.


	2. Leah

Leah was tall, blond, beautiful – and Kimiko's best friend. She paced slowly around her sandy house driveway in shiny leather platformed boots, laced to her knees. Her skirt was a short, tight, black one, and across her turquoise silk jacket she had one arm folded, the other slackly holding a cigarette. Her face held an expression which could've been interpreted as something between boredom and worry. With her long wavy extensions, flicked fringe and fake eyelashes, along with all this, she looked like some kind of punk Barbie. She was the girl everyone seemed to know.

"Hey, L!"

Seconds after taking another drag of her cigarette, Leah turned to see Kimiko clomping excitedly towards her, purse in hand and a ready-to-party expression stamped on her face.

"Hey," she answered, less enthusiastically, as her friend hugged her. "-listen, Kim…"

"-Are we gonna get going now?!" Kimiko beamed, completely oblivious to the fact L wasn't feeling the same vibe as her.

"-No, erm…" Leah took a last drag of her cigarette, looking down, then flicked it somewhere to the left.

"What's up?" although Kimiko's voice was still high-pitched and excited, her big smile had dissolved to a little tense frown.

"…I'm not feeling too good, K," Leah said, sighing, and folding both arms completely over her stomach, "I don't think I can-"

"-Oh c'mon, you've been talking _all week _about this.."

"-I know, but listen-"

"-You can't just blow off Kai's party now just because you're on your period or something!"

There was a sudden pause in which Leah was looking down to her shoes, biting her lip, then her head suddenly jolted back up and her eyes darted to left and right as if to check whether anyone was listening to the conversation.

"Oh god, Leah…"

"-Come inside with me please."

She grabbed Kimiko gently by the shoulder and the two girls then began to make their way towards Leah's front door. As they entered Kimiko's mind was asking a lot of questions, but in the centre of it all there was still the party.

____________________________________________________________________

As Leah pushed Kimiko quickly in the direction of her bedroom, they passed her mom who was in the kitchen.

"-Hey, I thought you girls were going to-"

"-Not now, Mom…" Leah said firmly, as she opened the door and pushed Kimiko in. She immediately landed her butt on the silk sheets of Leah's bed. Leah turned to face her friend, shutting the door behind her with both hands on the knob, sighing deeply.

"L…" Kimiko said, her shoulders tense and an eyebrow raised, "…what's going on?"

Leah sighed again, and then approached the bed. She sat down next to Kimiko, hunched forward with her fingers playing on her pink lips.

"…The thing is, K-" she responded, now sitting up a little and staring straight forward, "-I haven't had my period for 3 weeks now."

Kimiko's mind went completely blank as soon as it clicked on to what her best friend was trying to say. She'd _so_ been looking forward to the party, and now it'd come to this – something she totally hadn't expected. Of course, she immediately felt for L, too.

"Wha-oh my god… _really_, Leah?"

Leah nodded. "I think it's Joshua's."

Kimiko immediately leant across the bed and hugged Leah tightly.

"…What should I do?" she hugged Kimiko back.

When K let go, the two were looking into each other's eyes and holding hands.

"….Get a test tomorrow." Kimiko said, trying to smile understandingly.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Leah suddenly released her hand and ruffled her hair for a few seconds. She was now smiling the smile everyone loved to see.

"-Okay… for now, let's go party!"

…

And so off the two best friends went. It had been a very deep-talking night for Kimiko, with the whole situation with Master F and now L's possible pregnancy… but still, a party was a party, and there was no chance she was gonna miss out on any.


End file.
